Jones Beach Theater 2014 Concert Calendar Filling Up

Classic rock group Foreigner is set to play Nikon at Jones Beach Theater this summer.

Acoustic guitarist/singer Jack Johnson, pop band OneRepublic and classic rock groups ranging from Steve Miller Band to Foreigner are among big-name acts slated to perform at the Jones Beach amphitheater this summer.

The Memorial Day Weekend kickoff of the Nikon at Jones Beach Theater 2014 summer concert series may still be three months away, but tickets are on sale for the dozen dates that promoters have booked of mid-February.

“I love that venue,” said Jeff Pilson, bassist for British-American rock band Foreigner, which returns to the beach June 28 with tickets going on sale Monday. “I love the way it sounds. I love the access you have to the people there. I love the setting. I love that area of Long Island.”

Foreigner will be playing their hit classics, such as “Juke Box Hero,” “Cold as Ice” and “Urgent,” with supporting acts Styx and Eagles’ guitarist Don Felder on their Soundtrack of Summer tour.

The current version of the concert calendar starts off with Barry Gibb of disco group Bee Gees fame on May 23, songstress Sheryl Crow with country supporting acts Rascal Flatts and Gloriana on May 30 followed by soft rockers Jack Johnson and Amos Lee strumming it up June 7.

Classic rock bands Journey, Steve Miller Band and Tower of Power will hit the beach June 16. Pop-punk bands Fall Out Boy, Paramore, New Politics and The Maine are slated for June 21. And then pop rockers One Republic, The Script and American Authors are up on June 29.

The Vans Warped Tour traveling punk-and-extreme-sports festival returns July 12. The line up includes For Today, Stray from the Path, Teenage Bottlerocket, Air Dubai, Mixtapes, Mayday Parade, Beartooth, Plague Vendor, The Protomen, Attila, Saves the Day, A Skylit Drive, The Ghost Inside, Tear Out the Heart, I the Mighty, and The Devil Wears Prada. More acts are to be announced later.

On July 16, folk crooner James Taylor and his All Star Band will perform his biggest hits. Classic rockers REO Speedwagon and Chicago will make a stop on their Summer Tour on Aug. 17. And metal band Motley Crue will close out the summer on Aug. 29 on the RIP: All Bad Things Must Come to an End the FINAL tour.

Country artists Lady Antebellum and Joe Nichols are also scheduled to perform at a date that will be announced later. The concerts start after the annual Bethpage Air Show at Jones Beach on May 24-25, starring the return of the U. S. Navy Blue Angels.

While the first bands to commit to play Jones Beach are usually classic rock acts—newer performers round out the summer line-up as the warmer weather nears—Foreigner’s bassist notes that their audience has gotten a boost in recent years.

Pilson credits their new-found fans to video games such as Guitar Hero and Rock Band, which feature their classics. A new generation of fans was further cemented in 2012, when “Juke Box Hero” was covered on the Fox TV series Glee.

“There’s a whole new generation of people who listen to classic rock,” Pilson told the Press. “We definitely saw a different audience who started to come to the shows. And that’s absolutely wonderful.”

As much as the music industry is continually changing, Foreigners fans remain loyal and connected, attending shows in record numbers and reaching out through social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, Pilson added.

“They are even more endearing, loyal and we get a closer and closer connection with the fans,” Pilson said. “Social media has provided a lot of ways for people to get real close, so all of that is really positive. Live performances have more advantages than it’s ever had.”

Pilson summed up how psyched he is to storm the stage by the sea this summer like this: “We’re gonna go out there, three bands, and just go conquer the world for our little piece of time there!”

Jaime Franchi is the Executive Editor of Morey Publishing. She covers education and contributes news and entertainment pieces for the Long Island Press, along with occasional op-eds when she's in the mood for some hate mail. Her work can also be found on Salon.com, Milieu Magazine, Huffington Post and The New York Times.